Half way mark!

Whoa whoa whoa... where has the time gone?! Lil homegirl is now 6 months old! 

Looks like someone's surprised that it's already been 6 months too!

uh oh... we're in trouble, already obsessed with the mirror at such a young age!

 Tea party in her "cocktail" dress.

The best of times = hanging with big bro.

 Someone recently discovered spit raspberries and big bro thinks it's hilarious!

Was it an easy 6 months? Yes. And no. The first month was brutal. As each month went on, it got easier and harder at the same time (if that makes sense). The princess is able to sit up on her own 90% of the time... BUT... she will not let me out of her sight. If I leave, she cries. We've been playing peek-a-boo lately to help her realize that even though Mommy's gone, she will be back. So far, it just seems like it's a game to her. We are done with "first foods" (made by yours truly) and lucky for us, it doesn't look like the princess has any allergies at all. And of course, the dreaded 7-7:45 time at home is BRUTAL. Someone is always in a cranky mood... please grow out of that stage, little girl. Yet despite all the hardship, the kids are good overall. They've been entertaining each other more and both their laughter and crying rub off on each other. So when they're both good, it can be real good... but when they're bad... AIIIIIII!!!!

A Long Saturday

It's been around six months since Charlotte was born. This Saturday was the closest we have ever been to SF as a family of four. I say closest because Candlestick Park is actually in Brisbane (according to the husband). Our Saturday adventure started with restocking the fridge at Costco at 9:30 and ended with a super long dinner at Maggiano's before finally coming home at 8:30. 

WHAT. A. DAY! 

At least we know it's now doable for us... and we survived!

 

Friday. Sitting on Lucas' bed and playing with all his stuffed animals.

 

Girlfriend is moving on up in the eating world. First introduction to Mum Mums. 

49ers Fan Fest @ the Stick

You can't tell, but we have matching Kaepernick jerseys.

Happy #7 fan at the 49ers "museum".

Family picture (with Char's arm and leg).

Girlfriend learned how to blow raspberries this weekend (caught mid blow).

Tired. Exhausted. But still Mr. Cool on the drive home.

 Sunday. Having a tea party before church.

25

I guess you don't have to keep track of how many months your kid is once they turn 2. That seems to be the case for me. I almost missed his 25 month old "birthday". Whoops, sorry dude...

 Preseason training has already started and we are READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!

Due to Charlotte's developments as she's getting older, the Shinn kids are spending more time "playing" together. However, Lucas is starting to get annoyed at his sister when she grabs his hair and shirt. After around 5+ months of being "okay" with a baby, I think the boy needs some special time away to get the 1-on-1 attention he's been craving lately. Hello grandparents...!

 Tummy time with blocks

 Current favorite toy? Charlotte's tea set.

Brother-sister love

 Though Lucas is showing signs that he gets annoyed at his sister, he still loves her a lot too! You can't see it in this picture, but they are holding hands and enjoying each other's company.

SLO Family Vacation

We decided to travel 3 hours south for our first family trip to San Luis Obispo. What a nice little getaway SLO is! The people are much, much nicer than the snoobs living up in the Bay Area and the food is delicious and much, much cheaper! No wonder SLO is the happiest city in America.

The kids are definitely not SLO natives (don't look too happy right now).

In the span of 2.5 days, we were able to go to Pismo Beach, eat at Firestone's, Splash Cafe, visit Madonna Inn, and pick fruits at Avila Valley Farm. All these are MUST DO places to visit/eat at when one visits SLO.


Pismo Beach (water was cold!)

Firestones (tri tip sandwich)


Madonna Inn (pink champagne cake = $$$)


Picking peaches @ Avila Farms

SLO, you are already a family favorite. We will definitely be back!


Kids came here sad, left happy!

FIVE.

 That's right! Baby girl is five months old! My how time flies with two... Ever since Char was 17 weeks old, she's been able to sleep for 12 hours at night with an occasional 4 am waking where she just needs a paci to be placed in her mouth. We have come a long way to get to this stage. Mother thanks you for sleeping through the night! 

Baby girl should be able to sit on her own next month (wow!).

This was the first time the Shinn kids sat in a double stroller together. (We went on 7/11 to get a free Slurpee.)

Little sis adores her big bro.

 Whatever he's in to is cool in her eyes...

 She can't wait to grow up and play with puzzles like her brother.

 However, there are times when big bro regresses and plays with baby toys too.

Shinn Kids

I may be biased when I say this, but I truly believe my Shinn kids are the cutest kids around!  I know there is (at least!) one other person out there who agrees with me.

Aren't they the cutest little humans you've ever seen?!

 Princess Charlotte. Starting at 17 weeks, we already knew who her favorite person in the whole wide world was... mother! As flattered as mother is, she needs homegirl to be okay with other people as well. We're still struggling with Stranger Anxiety with this girl, hopefully it goes away soon and never comes back. Mother has a theory that it's not 100% Stranger Anxiety, but will have to continue testing this out. Oh children, they're living science experiments.

Lucas. He normally does not look so sad. He normally does not stand still for a long period of time. And that is why it's always so hard to get a decent picture of him nowadays. Look at this precious face, isn't this the cutest face you've ever seen?! Why is he so sad, you ask? Every day after his nap, he always asks to use the iPad. 99.97% of the time, the answer is always no. This time around, he decided to do the tears and pout face routine to see if I would change my mind. Sorry son, as hard as it is to say no to you, Mommy still said no. Nice try though!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Lucas!

I can't believe it's already been two years since I became a Mom. As I look at how this boy has changed over the course of two years, I no longer see a baby... his baby chubs is all gone, he has a full set of teeth, and he's starting to talk in a manner where (only) I can understand him. 

 Makeshift birthday bao for breakfast!

 

"Big car" from Mommy & Daddy

The older he gets, the more hardcore he gets!

Reading books with bebe before she takes a nap.

 Bebe is happy because she has such a loving big bro.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BUD!